SIMI VALLEY : 3 Children Killed, 2 Adults Hurt in Crash

Two Simi Valley children were killed and their parents seriously injured when the car in which they were riding veered off an icy roadway near Bishop and plunged 400 feet down a steep embankment, authorities said.

Lowell Goddard, 10, and Summer Schyvynck, 14, both of Simi Valley, and Molly Wellis, 4, of Bishop were not wearing seat belts and were ejected from the car in the 9:30 p.m. Sunday accident on Lower Rock Creek Road, said Bob Sorar, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol. All three were killed instantly, he said.

The driver, Karen Goddard, 39, and her husband, Steve Goddard, 40, suffered major head and body injuries and were listed in serious condition at Northern Inyo Hospital in Bishop, Sorar said. Both were wearing seat belts.

Sorar said the Goddards were headed back from Mammoth Lakes to Swall Meadows just outside Bishop when one of the three children began vomiting. He said Karen Goddard stopped to check on the child and decided that because they were not far from Swall Meadows, it would be more comfortable if the children did not have to use their seat belts.

Sorar said Karen Goddard was driving south on an uphill grade when she hit an icy curve and lost control of the vehicle.

Molly Wellis was the daughter of a family friend who lives in Bishop.